Digimon Dreams
by Gatamigo
Summary: After accidentally insulting their friend, two girls find themselves having to save him with only the help of a talking Digivice and two rival Tamers. Will Dez and Katy find their friend before he's lost forever? And why does everything try to eat Dez!
1. Uhoh: Late Apologies Don't Cut It

Gatamigo: Hey everyone, Gatamigo here!

Chili: Along with cool as ice Chili da Snowman!

Gatamigo: Hey, this is my fan fiction! Get outta here!

Chili: Oh, stuff it, G. This is only your first fan fiction, do you really think you can do the disclaimer all by your lonesome?

Gatamigo: Well, I actually-

Chili: -would love to have me do it. Gatamigo doesn't own Digimon, he just fangirls over it. Seriously, don't even mention Digimon with this guy, he foams at the mouth.

Gatamigo: I do not!

Chili: Enjoy the Prologue!

"HEY, DE-CHAN! De-chan, look what I got!" cried the boy as he ran the final feet to the bus stop and his friends. His curly black hair bounced with every step and his thick red winter coat bouncedalong with it. He skidded to a halt in front of his much shorter female friend, almost falling on his butt thanks to the icy road on which they stood.

Turning to give him a smile, Desiree replied, "How are you this morning, Derek?" Desiree, like Derek, was waiting in the unyielding cold of winter for the warm bus that would eventually ferry them off to the high school for yet another day of learning. Unlike her friend, who was nice and toasty in his thick jacket, she wore a simple brown hooded sweatshirt with a zipper down the front. Not really something one would wear to keep out the cold. Her long brown hair, pulled back in a pony-tail, flew wildly around her face as the arctic winds chilled her small frame to the core. She had to hold her arms around her waist just to keep warm.

Happy as a lark, and clearly not paying attention to Desiree's question, Derek blurted out, "De-chan! Last night, my mom brought me a package!"

"A package?" asked Desiree, her head tilted to the side. "What sort of package?"

"It was airmail! Apparently, it had come in the mail yesterday, but mom forgot about it." said the tall boy gleefully bouncing in place. "Guess what it was! Guess!"

Shaking her head in mock annoyance, Desiree replied, "Do I have to do this _every _time something comes in the mail for you?" Dez gave Derek an unimpressed look, with her arms folded for extra impact on how annoyed she was. "It must have been something you liked; I could hear the squeals of joy at my place."

From somewhere behind Derek, another girl walked into the group. She was taller than Desiree, and not much shorter than Derek. She had short brown hair that was slightly spiky in the back, with long bangs tied to the right side with two colorful hair clips. She wore a plain gray hoodie that was notably warmer than the little thing Desiree was wearing. Over her shoulder she held a light purple messenger bag with black star designs scattered across it. "At least you live two houses down from him, Dez. I have to live next door."

Derek smiled sheepishly. "Hello, Kay-chan. I guess you already heard the news, huh?"

Katy gave Derek a fake glare, saying, "I heard it last night, you big dork. I thought the town was being invaded by Yodelers."

Desiree began laughing uncontrollably at this remark, as Derek blushed brightly, wondering at how loud he had actually been last night when he opened his gift.

Between chuckles and snorts, Dez managed to ask, "So, what _was _in that thing, anyway?" Derek brightened up quickly, remembering the reason for which they were having this conversation.

"As you know, Bandai just announced the release of the first American Digimon online multiplayer RPG, right?"

Katy rolled her eyes. "You've only told us multiple times a day for weeks now, Derek-kun. We remember."

Derek shook his head, grinning from ear to ear, "This isn't about the announcement, Kay-chan. I..." Derek reached into his pocket pulling out two blocky plastic devices, one red, and the other pink. He shoved them into the faces of the two girls, crying out, "-JUST GOT THE NEW GAME!!!"

Both girls stood stock still. True, this was great for their friend who had been obsessed with the Digimon franchise since it first premiered, but neither of the girls had any interest in it. This announcement left them unsure of how to react to their friend, who was standing there with a grin that went from ear to ear.

"That's.....nice?" asked Katy.

"Not just nice, AMAZING!" cried Derek, "This puppy has the latest Digidex, a map feature, and with it's free wireless connect ability, we can send each other messages for free! It even has a port on the top for a digisou-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minnit," interrupted Dez. "What's this about US connecting?"

Derek tilted his head in confusion. "Well, there's a wireless option and a chat function, so when we're bored, we can just pull out our digivices and send a message."

Desiree's jaw almost dropped to the ground. "You mean you really think I'm going to carry that thing around?! It's huge! How the heck would it fit in my pocket?!"

Katy shrugged her shoulders and gave a half smile. "Sorry, Derek-kun, we're just not really into Digimon like that. We'd have no use for it. Besides, you've been waiting for this game for so long, it only makes sense that it gets played by some who truly adores that geeky little show. But thank you for the offer."

The bus pulled up to their stop and the kids began to file onto the big yellow vehicle. Dez picked up her bag and turned to Derek to say something, but stopped. Derek's hands were down at his sides; his face was hidden from view by his low hanging head. His shoulders shook slightly and the digivices had been dropped on the ground.

Katy, concerned for the boy, moved closer. "Derek? Are you alright?"

Derek moved away, saying softly, "I'm fine. I'm going to get a ride from my mom, today, OK? See ya," and with that, Derek ran back up the street, leaving the two digivices and his bewildered friends behind.

Dez looked up at the taller girl mouth slightly agape. "D-did we say something?" Katy looked down at the blocky plastic devices lying in the snow. She picked them up and brushed them off, handing one to Dez.

"I don't know, Dez," she said softly, "I don't know."

Meanwhile, in a time and place far from ours, a rumbling shook the land. The creatures of this far off world felt it coming. Not a physical feeling, but something deep within their souls stirred that told them something of great importance was about to begin. Sitting on a large boulder, with folded legs and arms, a boy snapped his eyes open. He brushed his thick, orange hair out of his face, stood and straightened his leather jacket.

"Did you hear that, Bear? We're being summoned." he said, looking behind him to the person behind the rock.

Without coming into view, Bear responded with a grunt, "Yes sir. I will prepare the supplies for the journey."

The boy flipped his long bangs and stared into the sunset with a smirk. "Prepare yourself brother. This is the day that our paths meet again."


	2. Confusion!: First times are Worst times

Chili: Well, that was interesting…

Gatamigo: C'mon, man. The Prologue wasn't that bad!

Chili: It was kinda weird… what actually happened? There was no action. At all.

Gatamigo: I make up for it in Chapter one, if it helps.

Chili: Then let's read that one then.

Gatamigo: A Special thanks to Alystarrn, Azarath Demon, and Kreative Kathryn for beta-ing this story for me. I would never have started this if it wasn't for you ladies, so thank you again.

Chili: Gatamigo does not own Digimon, that Akiyoshi Hongo guy does. And Alstarryn? He's going to be hiding in your closet tonight to glomp you. Watch out.

Gatamigo: Does she even HAVE a closet?

Last Time on Digimon Dreams… Derek Pierre, Dez Berde, and Katy Carol, three friends and Neighbors had a small tiff at the bus stop when Derek presented the other two girls with the gift of two toy digivices. The Girls turned down the gift, sending Derek off depressed. What about those Digivices were so special and how do these three tie into the fate of the Digital World? Find out next on Digimon Dreams!

Dez sat in her study hall, quietly tapping her pencil against the side of her head as she stared blankly into nothing. She had work to do, but she really couldn't concentrate right now. She played the scenario in her head over and over again. Derek walks up happy. Then came some playful banter, the presentation of Digimon toys, and the utter mockery of Derek by Dez and Katy. No matter how many times she ran through what had happened, it always came with the same result. The girls had seriously hurt Derek's feelings without even meaning to.

-Damn it!-she thought as she slammed her head against the desk. -_How could I have said those awful things to him? I know he only meant well. And we just blew him out of the water!_" She sighed and pulled out the piece of plastic Derek had called a 'digivice.' "_How the heck do I even use this?_ - She thought as she slowly inspected the blocky object, -_I wonder where the on button is…_-

Dez cell phone buzzed in her pocket, thankfully quiet enough that the teacher didn't hear it. She flipped it open to read the text. Katy had sent a message written in all caps. As Dez read it, she paled.

-_What?!_- She thought, -_What does she mean collectors item?_ - Confused as heck, Dez followed the instructions in Katy's message and pulled out her laptop. She turned the small thing on and immediately connected to the Internet. She had to see this for herself. Sure enough, right on the Bandai homepage was a picture of the same blocky toys that Derek had given the girls this morning, along with its average price. Doing some quick calculations in her head, Dez realized that for the shipping, handling, and the item itself, each of the two digivices Derek had bought cost about $500.

Katy ran through the halls as quickly as she could. Like Dez, she had spent the last period grieving over her poor choice of words at the bus stop that morning. She hadn't meant to be that mean. She wasn't even sure where it came from. All she knew was that she had to apologize to him. It didn't help anything to know that the gift she had so graciously declined had cost the boy that much. He hadn't even gotten one for himself!

"I hope I didn't miss him," she whispered to herself.

Dez burst out of the class room, making a beeline for the cafeteria. She knew where Derek would always be during lunch, and she prayed to God that he would be there now. She passed person after person, lockers, teachers, and student alike became nothing to her as she sped to get to her friend. She noticed someone running beside her, turned and saw Katy. She seemed in as much of a hurry as Dez was. And rightfully so, it was Katy who first found out the price of the gift they had shunned.

They were nearing the stairwell now, both panting. Up ahead, Katy spotted a thick mass of curly hair.

"Dez!" she cried, "It's him!" Derek heard the voices and turned to the oncoming girls with a sad look in his eyes. The two were overjoyed to have found him, and would have commenced with the apology immediately, but they were still running. To their dismay, they found that they could not stop. It was as if their legs had minds of their own.

They saw the long flight of stairs, the surprised look on Derek's face when they toppled into him, sending them all over the edge. The world seemed to slow as they fell through the air, the ground coming up to meet them. And moments before it should have hit, they saw Derek's face turn white as snow, and his eye color change to gray. Then the world went dark.

Dez could feel her head pounding to a steady beat. Lazily, she rubbed her hand against her forehead, opening her eyes slowly.

_-__What happened? -_ She thought, still in a haze, _-The last thing I remember was…-_ Dez remembered what had happened at the stairwell, bolting upright and screaming,

"Katy! Derek!" From the far corner of the dark room that she was now in, Dez heard Katy whimpering. Dez quickly crawled her way to her friend, who looked as if she was just waking up. "Katy, are you ok?"

Groggily opening her eyes, Katy nodded, "I think so. It's just a headache."

Dez sighed in relief as she hugged the taller girl. "Thank goodness."

Katy scanned the dark, featureless room, unable to find anything other than the pitch black. Katy hugged Dez closer, whispering, "Dez? W-where are we?" As if answering Katy's query, a small flame ignited a few feet away from them. The light it cast revealed that they were in a large cave, with no obvious openings. The girls gaped in awe.

From seemingly everywhere, a kind voice boomed, "Hello, Digidestined. I am Azulongmon." Dez rapidly looked around, scared by the big voice that seemed to have no origin. "What do you want? Where are we? Did you take us here?"

The voice chuckled. "No, dear ones, I was not the one to bring you here. Rather, no one did. It would seem that you have simply followed another as he came to this place." Katy was shivering in Desiree's embrace. She had never experienced anything this terrifying. "W-what do you want with us, Azulongmon?"

"To put it simply, something has gone terribly wrong in both my world and yours. Someone from my world has trespassed on earth, forcing one of your kinds here to the Digital world. You are the only ones who can retrieve him and restore balance to the multiverse."

_-Digital world? -_ thought Dez, _-Like in Digimon?-_

"But why us?" cried Katy, "Why do we have to do it?"

"Because you know the boy who was kidnapped," Azulongmon replied.

Desiree's eyes widened, and Katy's tears abruptly stopped. "The boy who was kidnapped," continued the voice "Was your friend Derek."

The flame began to flicker, and the room seemed to spin. Katy fell back in Desiree's arms, unconscious. "Katy!" cried Dez.

"You must find the Four Crests of Power to unlock the fortress where your friend is being kept," said Azulongmon as his voice faded away, "Please, do not forget that the fate of the Digital World now rests in your hands"

Confused and with twice as many questions as when she started, Dez cried out Azulongmon's name. "Wait! Don't go!" she screamed as the darkness reclaimed her surroundings.

Before fading away completely, Azulongmon whispered, "Your friend is safe, child. Have faith in yourself and you will be able to save him."

Dez slowly opened her eyes. All of these unscheduled naps were starting to get to her. Groggily, the girl scanned her surroundings. It seemed that she was sitting inside a giant Railroad station. Yes, that must have been it. She could see the many sets of train tracks lined up beside her. Her eyes traced the paths as they led out of the overhanging structure, over the cliff and out into nothing, twisting and turning like a roller coaster. Wait.

"This isn't right!" she cried out loud. "What kind of trains run on these kind of tracks?!" She stood and looked about wildly. Sure enough, the tracks did the same in the other direction as well: twisting and turning in midair, all leading off the far end of the station out into open air, some heading straight down into the fog filled abyss.

This wasn't the only thing bothering her. Although her outburst at this strange phenomenon wasn't really directed at anyone, she hadn't expected for there to be no answer. Dez turned around, looking for any sign of life, but there were none. It was as if no one had ever been here at all.

Suddenly, from no where, a voice cried out, "Destroy!" From behind the station, an explosion rocked Desiree's frame, knocking her over. She hadn't even gotten near it, but the force of the wind was too much for her.

"If it could knock me over from the other side of the building," she thought," I wouldn't want to be hit by it!" Then she heard a loud footstep. Then another. Then another. Dez began to shudder as the loud ...thing got closer and closer. Finally, it rounded the corner of the building into her line of sight.

Her mouth opened to form a scream, but no sound came out of it. Standing right in front of her, with it's red scaly skin, black markings running up and down it's arms and tail, and smoke filled mouth, the large dragon-like beast reared back it's head and gave a terrible roar, spouting out red-hot flames from it's mouth.

From the ground beside her, the blocky digivice toy that Derek had given Dez began to beep. Its screen shone a brilliant tint of red, and a voice spoke up.

_"Hello. I am the Digital Encyclopedia Information Relay Program two-point-oh, your DigiDexter. I am filled with the knowledge of all life in the Digital World. What is your query?"_ Dez, scrambled to her feet, scooping up the talking digivice and running as fast as she could in the opposite direction of the fire-breathing Dino.

"What is this thing and why is it chasing me?!" screamed Dez. The giant red reptile noticed the small girl running away. It growled and attempted to chase after her. However, the overhang of the so called "station" was too low for it to follow.

The digivice beeped once again, and Dexter's voice chimed out, _"Growlmon, the Champion Level Growling Monster. By sending out an electro magnetic pulse, it can slash through anything with its Plasma Blades. Alternatively, it can destroy its opponents with its explosive Pyro Blaster."_

"That's nice," Dez cried as the Growlmon tore the roof off of the station, "But how do I stop it?!"

The Growlmon, now with a clear path towards its prey, dashed at Dez with its sharp teeth filled mouth open wide. Dez covered her face with her arms, waiting for the end to come. But moments before the beast gobbled her up, it was sent crashing backwards by another creature yelling, "Erase Claw!"

Dez opened her eyes and removed her hands slowly, stunned at the sight of the terrible dino lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Standing at the top of what _was_ the train station was a large figure, clothed in black body armor, with a silver helmet and six red wings protruding out of its back.

Its thick, muscle-bound arms were folded across its chest and its face, though covered by its silver mask, seemed to end in a reptilian snout. The creature snarled at the Growlmon as the Growlmon attempted to get up. Dez, still shocked at almost being eaten, could only murmur, "W-what is?"

From her hand, Dexter chirped, _"I am going to assume that was a query. Scanning."_ The digivice beeped a few times, before Dexter's voice chimed out, _"Cyberdramon: The Ultimate Level Cyber Dragon Monster. A __cyborg-type Digimon of Dragon Man lineage that is clad in a special eraser-made armor. Its mission is to annihilate Virus-type Digimon who have infested the network, but it is mysteriously not affiliated with any righteous group. Its special technique is to send out huge shock waves from both arms, erasing the space around the enemy, sometimes taking pieces of it's foe with it.__"_

"Oh, god," said Dez with a gulp, "I couldn't handle one monster, now I've got two!" The Growlmon rolled over onto it's stomach, pushing itself up and glaring at the Cyberdramon. It huffed out a cloud of smoke and roared at the one who had delayed his breakfast. Cyberdramon stood unmoving, as if waiting for Growlmon to make the first move. Growlmon stood and opened his mouth wide. A bright light grew from inside his mouth, and with a thrust of his head he launched a fireball, screaming, "Pyro Blaster!"

Cyberdramon flicked its wings, leaping up and over the incoming attack. The fire ball exploded on the other side of the station.

Dez began moving backwards, not wanting to be around when the real fighting started between the two beasts. "Should I be worried? No matter which one wins, I'm on the winner's dinner menu!"

_"Oh, don't worry about that,"_ chirped Dexter, _"Cyberdramon will only attack those that it deems worthy opponents. Your DP is so low he wouldn't even sniff at you."_ Dez held the Digivice in front of her face, staring at the blank screen.

"But if he loses, there's no one to keep me from the mutant, fire breathing Barney!" she screamed.

Dexter made a sound that was like a tsk, speaking in an annoyed tone, _"I already told you that Cyberdramon is an Ultimate Digimon, while Growlmon is only a Champion. They're way out matched. Either you really have no clue what's going on here or you're really bad at listening."_

"I'm going to go with the first one," said Dez. The Cyberdramon had landed not to far from Growlmon, but still did not attack. It stood there patiently, waiting for something. Growlmon was slightly confused, but happy that he would get in the first blow.

"Destroy!" it cried as the blades on his arms lit up and crackled with energy. The Growlmon rushed Cyberdramon, slashing its arms and yelling, "Plasma Blades!"

"Counter it, Cyberdramon!" cried an unnamed voice. Cyberdramon ducked low under Growlmon's first swing, grabbing its other arm and throwing it off to the side. Growlmon hit the ground hard. The voice that had given Cyberdramon called out again.

"While it's down! Use Erase Claw!" Cyberdramon clenched its fist which shone with white energy. He bared his claws and teeth, growling at its opponent. Growlmon attempted to get up, but Cyberdramon was not going to let it. Cyberdramon dashed forward, and with two mighty swipes of his arms, sent out a blast that hit the Growlmon square in the back. Growlmon roared out in pain as the attack ripped into his back. It fell to the ground again, this time unmoving.

Dez felt relieved that the monster had been stopped. She was quite impressed with the Cyberdramon, but hoped that Dexter was correct that it would not eat her. From out behind the ruined station came a boy about Desiree's age. He wore a form-fitting silver coat, black pants, gloves, and heavy black boots. His hair was black as night and spiked towards the front. He adjusted his glasses and walked over to the Cyberdramon.

Patting Cyberdramon on the arm, he said, "Good job. Another victory for us. You make me proud, Cyberdramon."

"Who is that kid?" wondered Dez aloud.

_"If I had to make a wild guess,"_ said Dexter slowly, _"I'd say that boy is Cyberdramon's tamer. The person who trained him and commanded him in battle."_

"So I have them both to thank for saving me from that Groomon." Said Dez happily.

_"Uh, I think you mean 'Growlmon',"_ said Dexter, obviously not impressed. Dez retorted with a quick 'whatever' and walked to thank the boy.

Before she had taken more than a few steps, the boy stood back from Cyberdramon and ordered, "Now finish it."

_-Finish it? –_ thought Dez, _-But they already knocked it down. They won. What more could they do? –_ Gesturing at the fallen red dino, the boy commanded, "Use Erase Claw."

Cyberdramon grinned menacingly and raised its hand, bringing down yet another Erase Claw into the Growlmon's back. Growlmon screamed out in pain, and tried to scramble away.

"Erase Claw!" commanded Cyberdramon's tamer again, which Cyberdramon happily obeyed. The Growlmon was attempting to crawl away, but with so much pain running through its body, could not go very far. It whimpered as it slowly made its way across the station, every movement sending waves of agony through its reptilian form.

"Erase Claw!" yelled the tamer, "Erase Claw! Erase Claw! Erase Claw!" Cyberdramon sent attack after attack at the Growlmon, the explosion either knocking it down, or tossing it around like a rag doll. Dez was in shock. When the Cyberdramon attacked the Growlmon in her defense was one thing, but this was pure torture. Or had Cyberdramon really been fighting for her? Maybe the boy had planned this the whole time and her being at the right place at the right time was simply a coincidence.

The Growlmon had given up by now. Tattered and torn, it simply laid back, crying in pain and waited for the end. Cyberdramon stood over the dino and grinned sadistically. It looked to its tamer for approval and received it in the form of a nod.

"Kill it," stated the boy, with as much emotion as a doorknob. Cyberdramon raised its hand. Growlmon closed its eyes. Dez screamed out. The boy noticed the human girl on the other side of the platform when she cried. Cyberdramon thrust his hand downward, piercing the Growlmon through the stomach.

No blood was spilled, no guts were torn about, but Growlmon's pupils dilated and his body stiffened. Then a burst of light came from deep inside the dinosaur, releasing a band of blue light that rotated around his body width wise. The light had strange marking flying through it, as if it was a solid object. The tamer stepped forward, producing a silver digivice identical to the one that Dez had been given by Derek. He swiped the device across the ring of light, producing sparks.

"Fractal Code, Digitize," he said as the ring was sucked into the top of the digivice. Once the ring was gone, the Growlmon's body broke up into little particles and disappeared. Dez fell to her knees. What she had just witnessed was too much for her to bear. She stared at the boy who had just now noticed her with blank eyes.

"Why?" she sobbed, "Why?" Her tears began to fall freely. What was this boy? The boy, unfeeling, turned around and began to walk away.

"Why?" he repeated, "For his fractal code. That's the only reason I kill anything. You shouldn't worry too much about that Digimon, girl. Worry about how hard you're going to land."

"Land?" wondered Desiree aloud.

"Cyberdramon," the boy ordered without even turning around, "Destroy the platform…and anything on it."

"Yes, Master," Cyberdramon replied. Cyberdramon slashed at the ground, causing a huge crack to form. The platform split from one side to the other, revealing a large mass of the same light that appeared from Growlmon. Cyberdramon lunged at the mass, taking a bite and tossing his head to bring a piece over to his tamer, digivice at the ready. The digivice swallowed the string of energy like a giant strand of spaghetti, causing the ground under Desiree's side of the station to disappear.

With nothing to support it, the cracked platform broke in two pieces, one hurtling over the newly formed cliff and Dez with it, the other still on solid ground with boy and his Digimon grinning wickedly. The boy waited for a moment to hear the screams of the girl fade as she fell into the abyss. When he could no longer hear her he motioned for Cyberdramon to pick him up. Cyberdramon obeyed, and with his wings spread, took off into the sky. –With the data I got from that Growlmon and the Trailmon station, I can finally pay off that big brute to let me inside the castle. I have made many sacrifices to get where I am now. And that girl…- he thought with a glance back to the utterly destroyed station, -…that girl was just one of many. Her loss is my gain; even when her loss was her life.-

Who is this mysterious evil tamer, and what does he need Fractal Code for? Will Dez survive her first few minutes in the Digital World? And where are Desiree's friends, Derek and Katy? Find out next time on Digimon Dreams!

To Be Continued…

Chili: One last thing, guys. You see this button down here? Yeah, you should really click it. Gatamigo loves reading reviews. We love Gatamigo when he's off reading reviews. It's a win win.


	3. Encounters!:Sorry for Dropping in

Chili: O. M.G. Did you just kill off the main character before the end of the first chapter?!

Gatamigo: She's not dead!

Chili: But she fell down a blinking RAVINE. How do you survive that?!

Gatamigo: The same way Bugs Bunny does.

Chili: …that made absolutely no sense at all.

Gatamigo: Just read the chapter, will you?! I don't own Digimon. If I did, I would have given Tamers a sequel.

Chili: And erased the American Digimon Movie from the memories of everyone.

Gatamigo: Enjoy chapter 2!

"Help me!" cried Desiree as she fell down into the darkness. The dense fog of the crevasse prevented her from seeing the ground that was surely rushing up to meet her as she fell countless feet from the top.

_"What do you expect me to do? Grow wings?!"_ chirped the little device in her hands. Pulling it to her face and screaming for all she was worth, Dez reprimanded the digivice.

"DEXTER! If you have that option, I'd greatly appreciate it right about now you hunk of plastic!"

_"I'll have you know,"_ retorted Dexter, _"That my casing is made of the finest Digi-chrome armor, not plastic!"_

"This is not the time to be discussing your outfit!" Dez cried. The harsh wind whipped her hair around her face as she fell. The farther down she fell, the darker it got; the sun's light was being muted by the high walls of the deep crack in the ground.

_"Well, if you dislike falling so much, why don't we ask this fellow for help?"_ said Dexter. Dez looked up and saw that there was something else falling at the same speed next to her. He was too far away to see what it was through the fog, but it looked to be slightly smaller than her.

"Hey!" she cried, waving her arms around to try to catch this mystery creature's attention. Dexter beeped and booped as he was shaken about by Dez.

_"T-T-T-THIS I-I-I-S NOT-T-T-T FU-U-U-U-N-N-N-Y-Y-Y!!!"_ He stuttered as the girl waved him about. The mystery being paid no heed to her cries, making no attempt to respond. Dez began to wave her arms faster.

"Please! I can't fly and I don't think the ground is going to be very soft when I land! Please, can you help me?!" She continued to wave the digivice around wildly, much to Dexter's dismay.

_"Dez, if you keep this up, I'm going to- oops, there I go."_ Dexter's screen flashed a brilliant red, the words 'Shinka Link' displayed in white. Dez pulled her arm in to stare at the screen.

"Shinka Link?" she asked, "What does that mean?!" A ray of light burst from the top of the device, piercing through the fog and hitting the person on the other side. Dez could see its shadow through the fog grow. It got much bigger, stretching out to look like a giant snake longer than Desiree's own house! The girl stared in fear, still falling, as it twisted and turned, finally flapping its giant wings and removing the fog with a roar.

Dexter beeped once before saying, _"Scanning. Airdramon, Champion Level."_

"Holy Crap!" shouted Dez as the beast eyed her hungrily. It flapped its wings, bursting straight up. The wind from the wings had removed the fog, allowing Dez to see the ground that was much closer than she had expected.

"Great. Either I get eaten or crushed!" cried the girl loudly.

_"Although there's the possibility you could have heart attack before either of the two. Want me to electrocute you?"_ asked Dexter wittily.

The Airdramon had reached the top of the crevasse, spinning once in mid-air before dropping down again. It dived deeper into the crevasse aimed right at Dez with its large teeth bared and dripping. Dez covered her face with her hands.

"Tell me when it's over, Dexter!" she cried, sure that this was the end.

_"Define over. Before or after you become Airdramon poo?"_

Before Dez could respond, she stopped falling. The wind no longer whipped around her face. She felt the pull of gravity as a comfortable thing, not a force that grew stronger with every second. She uncovered her face. She was sitting on a large red object. It was flat and appeared to be made of metal.

–Shouldn't I have gone splat? - She thought to her self.

Her eyes traced along the edge of the object. Jutting out of the edge directly in front of her were three giant bleached white claws. Dez jumped with a gasp, twisting around quickly, her eyes wide. She was being held in the paw of a giant purple bear!

The bear was hanging onto the side of the abyss, with its left front paw buried into the wall. It was staring up at the approaching Airdramon with disgust. It turned its large head to look at Dez who was shaking in fear.

–Its bigger than a truck! - She screamed in her head.

The bear growled, "Get on my back." Dez blinked, confused.

"What?" she asked, bewildered that the beast had talked to her. The bear sighed, repeating itself slowly, "Get on my back. I need to walk on that paw and we can't hang around here all day. Unless you'd rather I let you drop again."

Dez snapped to of her trance, quickly climbing up the bear's arm, careful of the spikes that came out of its red metal shoulder armor, to rest behind its head. "Like this?" she asked, unsure of this whole situation.

The bear smiled and gave a small nod, careful not to throw off the small human it was now carrying. "Exactly. Now hold on to my fur tightly, we're going for a little ride." Before Dez could respond, the bear leaned in to the wall face, pushed off it with great force, and leapt to the other side of the crevasse. Dez screamed as they flew from one wall to another, the bear's claws digging into the walls, preventing them from sliding down too far. Within a few moments, they had effectively reached the bottom of the crevasse with little problem.

Dez slid off the beast as it said urgently, "Take cover. Your friend there isn't going to go away without a little persuading." He motioned up to the Airdramon that was plunging down at them. Dez nodded and ran to a large rock, away from the bear.

Turning from the human girl to his opponent, the bear stood on its hind legs. It aimed one arm directly at the Airdramon, waiting. The Airdramon got closer, and closer, and closer, crying out with an unearthly screech. The bear waited, unmoving. –What is it waiting for?!- Thought Dez -That dragon thing is almost on top of him!-

Suddenly, the bear burst into action. Jumping up and swiping its paw through the air, it yelled, "Crescent Dawn!" A burst of energy flew from his claws, striking the Airdramon square in the face. It cried in pain and, having been knocked out of its flight, fell to the ground with an enormous crash.

Dez shielded her face from the wind and dirt that had been thrown up by the monster's landing. The bear landed gracefully on all fours, widening its stance in wait of its adversary. Airdramon struggled awkwardly, flapping its wings to try to get back in the air. It shook its head, slightly loopy from the pain.

The bear grinned at Dez, giving her a wink before leaping at the Airdramon. He landed on its back, rewarded by the screech of the creature as it thrashed about, trying to remove him. The bear held on, its claws digging into the flying snake's back to prevent himself from being thrown. The Airdramon cried and screamed for all it was worth, flying this way and that, but the bear on its back restricted its movement.

Eventually, Airdramon tired, falling to the ground with a thud. The bear removed itself from the monster's back, stepping a few paces away from the beast. The Airdramon was simply too tired to move. It laid there and waited for its adversary to give the final blow. It never came.

From the other side of the crevasse, behind a rock similar to the one Dez was now crouched behind, a voice rang out.

"Good work, Bear! You got him down!" Dez peeked around her hiding place to see a boy walking over to the bear.

His hair was a bright orange that reminded Dez of the fruit by the same name. It was spiked in the back, with the bang styled into one long strip that stood straight up and hooked like a scythe. He wore a black leather jacket that was open in the front revealing a red shirt with a yellow lightning bolt decal on the front. He was clapping his hands and smiling as he walked to the bear and the downed Airdramon.

The purple bear stood on its hind legs, using its front paws to give a mock bow. "Thank you sir, but it was nothing really. The tactic was your idea, I simply followed orders." The boy shook his head.

"Really, Grizzmon, will you learn to take a complement once in a while?" The boy then turned to the Airdramon. He unclipped something from his belt and said with a grin, "Fractal Code, Digitize!" A ring of blue light with semi-solid markings appeared around the Airdramon as it closed its eyes.

-This is it! - Dez thought from afar, -He's going to kill that thing and I can't do anything about it! I mean, sure, it tried to eat me, but… it still seems so wrong!-

The boy swiped his arm, rubbing the top of his black digivice across the ring, producing sparks. The Airdramon began to glow and its body began to disintegrate. Dez closed her eyes, she couldn't stomach this again.

"Purification!" screamed the boy triumphantly, as if he had just discovered something amazing. Desiree's eyes popped open.

-Purification? - She thought, -What's that?-

As the monster's body broke apart into fragments, and the ring around its body was absorbed by the boy's device, something else happened. The pieces of the monster were beginning to coalesce into a single object. Once the boy had absorbed the entire blue ring, the bits had completed the creation of a large, orange spotted Egg.

The bear, which Dez was sure the boy had called 'Grizzmon' turned to her hiding spot.

"You can come out now," He said, "The threat has been neutralized." The boy also turned to where Dez was hiding.

"Don't be afraid, Desiree. We won't hurt you." Dez stiffened at the sound of her name being spoken by these strangers. How did they know who she was?!

"Dexter!" she whispered, "How do they know me?"

"_They probably just scanned you while you were free falling to see what you were. Any tamer can scan another tamer to find out if they're friend or foe, as long as the other tamer has their Digivice on them."_

Dez sighed, relieved that they weren't just stalkers. Slowly, she stood up from behind the rock. She walked up to the boy, who had a great grin on his face.

"Hey, there." He said, "That was quite a pickle you were in. What, did you think that Digimon would help you just because you helped it Digivolve?"

Dez was confused, "Digivolve?" she asked, "What's that?"

_"What?!"_ screamed Dexter from his place in her hand, _"You don't even know about digivolving?!"_

The boy's eyes widened at hearing Dexter's voice. "Hello? What's this?" he asked taking Desiree's hand in his own to look at the Digivice. "A talking Digivice?"

_"Not just any talking Digivice!_ _I am_ _the Digital Encyclopedia Information Relay Program two-point-oh, DigiDexter. I have a complex and thorough data bank of all 800 known Digimon species, as well as incomplete files on a number of others that have yet to be proven to exist. I also come with a map function, messaging system, and a defensive shock feature. IF you do not let my tamer's hand go this instant, young man, I'll show you how that last one works!" _chirped Dexter angrily.

Grizzmon let out a hearty laugh, "He put you in your place, now didn't he, Ryo?" Ryo spun to his Digimon, frowning out of embarrassment.

"Well excuse for being curious! No one told me there was a program like that for a Digivice!"

_"Actually,"_ responded Dexter_, "I am so far the only one of my kind. A beta version, if you will. I was programmed specifically for Desiree Berde, age 16, female, Digidestined of the Crest of… of... Actually, that profile is incomplete. Dez, what IS your crest?"_

Dez blinked down at Dexter, then at Ryo and Grizzmon. "I'm really sorry, but I have no idea what you're saying."

Ryo sighed. "Guess we're going to have to start from the beginning, aren't we?"

Grizzmon shrugged, "Looks that way, doesn't it, sir?"

Dez looked at her surroundings. She was sitting cross-legged in a large cave that was decorated with colorful blankets that appeared hand-woven. A large fire-wood stove was in the corner, and various items were strewn about. Desiree wondered what had possessed her to come to this place.

The group had followed the deep gorge to a rocky slope which wasn't too steep to prevent them from climbing out. Once outside, Ryo had offered Dez a ride to his place, where he had promised he would explain everything he could.

She shook her head, in an attempt to focus on the task at hand. She was not to stay long, all she needed was a map to the nearest town and a ticket back to reality and she'd be fine. Really, she was having second thoughts about following him. –I just met this kid! - She thought – And now I'm following him home?!-

Grizzmon moved about the cave with difficulty, being very large and trying not to step on the humans while he made tea. Ryo sat back against the wall opposite Dez, holding the large orange spotted egg in his hands, polishing it with a large rag. Dexter had remained quiet the whole time, now clipped to Desiree's belt like Ryo's Digivice was.

"Well, Miss Berde," began Ryo, "What is it you wish to know?"

"Everything," replied the girl, "Where am I? Why am I here? And…" she pointed to Grizzmon, "What is that?!"

Ryo looked at Grizzmon questionably, "That? That's Grizzmon. I call him Bear."

"No! I know who he is! What is he! Like, what kind of animal?!"

"_I think, Ryo,"_ chirped Dexter_, "We should start with the basics and move on from there. This girl has been attacked twice in one hour, she's a little shaken." _Ryo nodded.

"To put it bluntly, Dez," said Ryo, "You are not on earth, and yet, you are on earth. We are in a realm that has close ties with your reality, yet is separate from it. You are in the Digital World."

"What does that mean?" asked the girl.

"Patience, miss," said Bear, "Let Master finish." Ryo thanked Grizzmon before continuing.

"The Digital World is comprised of Data, the energy of computers on Earth. It is filled with life, dominantly the Digimon. Grizzmon here is a Digimon. Digimon are also comprised of Data, but are sentient, being able to think for themselves. While most Digimon are intelligent, many are feral, attacking anything they can, Like that big Airdramon earlier."

"It wasn't always big," interjected Dez, "When I first saw it, it was only a little thing."

"_She shook me too hard and activated my bonding program,"_ explained Dexter, _"One of my objectives is to locate her Digimon partner, but the program was fired prematurely from the excessive movements… She made that Digimon Digivolve into Airdramon."_

"What does that mean, Digivolving?" Dez asked. Ryo smiled at her.

"All Digimon Digivolve. It is an ability known by no other living being. When Digimon Digivolve, they become bigger, stronger, and learn new fighting techniques to aid in their survival. When you accidentally activated Dexter's program, you sent a burst of energy that allowed that Digimon to change into its stronger form, Airdramon. The forms that Digimon can Digivolve into are classified by their strength, although any Digimon can surpass the average without changing to their higher forms. When Digimon are first born, they are called Babies. They're pretty useless, but are really cute. Shortly, they evolve into their In-training forms. They still are useless in a fight, but they become smarter and can understand language. It is in this form that Digimon usually learn the most about the world around them. Sooner or later, they evolve to Rookie level, where they'll spend most of their lives. They can fight and defend themselves pretty well, but are nothing alone. A group of rookies could become a problem, but alone, aren't really anything to worry about."

Ryo gestured to Grizzmon, who was carefully pouring tea into tiny cups, a great feat for such a large mammal in such a little space.

"Bear here is a Champion level Digimon. You'll see a lot of them around as they are the most abundant. They are proud warriors, very helpful in a fight. Most are rather large, some bigger than a house."

Dexter chirped, adding, _"That Growlmon you saw was a Champion level Digimon."_

"After that is a status very few achieve, the Ultimate Level. Ultimate level Digimon are very rare and very powerful. That Airdramon was an Ultimate Level, but Grizzmon was able to beat it easily for two reasons. One, he's been training with me for along time, and is stronger than the average Champion. Two, that Airdramon was JUST evolved. It wasn't used to its body yet."

Ryo looked down at the egg in his lap, "Digimon can never die. When they are too old or are deleted in battle, their data is reconfigured into a digi-egg like this one. When it hatches, it will be a baby Digimon and will start its life from scratch as a completely digimon. The memories of the old Digimon are gone, though."

"Master," asked Bear as he passed out the cups of tea, "Shouldn't we make haste for the Tree? IF that egg is going to hatch, it should really be there. We can't afford to have a young one slowing us down, and Swanmon will be waiting for it. When she sees an empty crib, she freaks out, you know."

"Swanmon? Tree?" asked Dez. Bear looked down at the girl with a smile.

"When Digimon die, the data usually goes to the Tree of Beginnings to reform as a Digiegg. There, the babies are taken care by a sweet Digimon named Swanmon. However, Ryo scanned Airdramon's fractal code, causing the data to reform right there. She'll get worried if she see's that the egg isn't there, so bringing it to her as soon as possible seems like the logical thing to do, if only to help her nerves."

"Then why don't we go?" said the girl. Ryo tilted his head.

"What?"

"Why. Don't. We. Go." She repeated slowly. "If Swanmon will miss the egg, shouldn't you return it? I want to learn as much as I can, but if you guys have somewhere to be, I can wait."

Ryo smiled widely, "Glad that's settled. C'mon, Bear, lets go." Grizzmon watched his master walk out of the cave hastily. "Don't mind him," he said to Dez, "Ryo's always testy around females. I'll never understand why." He padded softly out of the cave.

Dez stood and followed them out of the cave. –At least- She thought – With them I'll be safe. IF that kid and his Cyberdramon come back, they'll protect me. - As she climbed on Grizzmon's back along with Ryo, she whispered to herself, "But who's there to protect Derek and Katy?"

To be continued…

Gatamigo: This button is my new best friend. IF you click it, it'll be your best friend too! And seriously, who doesn't like having more best friends, amirite?


	4. How Restful: Breakfast with the Berry

Gatamigo: Wow. Chapter 3! In this chapter, we finally find out what happened to Katy-Chan.

Chili: It's about time too. You'd think you'd have gotten to this first. Are you partial to Desiree's character or something, G?

Gatamigo: N-no!

Chili: Mm-hmm…

Gatamigo: I do not own Digimon, wish I did, but I don't. The characters Derek, Ryo, Katy Carol, Dez Berde, and DigiDexter are, however, from my own imagination.

Chili: A scary place to be, if you ask me. Enjoy Chap 3!

Katie awoke to the squeal of a tea kettle as the steam from the boiling contents sputtered from its spout. The teen turned onto her side, staring at the bronze container as it hung over the open flame pit. Twice, she blinked, trying to make heads or tails of what was happening. Before she could ponder much, a little black ball rolled over to her.

She sat up in the pile of leaves upon which she had been resting and looked at the ball. It seemed to be covered in thick, black fur. Drowsily, she reached out with one hand to touch it. When her hand neared the ball, however, it jumped back. Katie quickly withdrew her hand with a gasp. She had never expected it to move!

From the top of the ball, a round, furry mass popped out, like an ear. Then, another ear popped out next to the first. The black, round object opened its tiny yellow eyes and yawned cutely. It stared at Katie, wiggling its ears and smiling. Katie, unsure of what to do, leaned forward.

"H-hello?" she asked softly. The small creature squealed with laughter, bouncing around Katie with a huge smile on its little face. Even though she was very confused, Katie couldn't help but laugh as well.

"My name is Katy," she said once the creature had calmed down a little, "What's your name?" The creature tilted its head, making it look as if it was about to fall over. It appeared to be deep in thought, troubled by the girl's question.

"Y-you don't have to tell me if you don't want to! Its fine if you don't!" Katy quickly added, worried she had offended the little ball. A large white wing reached out from the surrounding darkness to pick up the teapot.

"Little Botamon won't answer you because it can't," said the large bird-like monster as it walked into the light of the fireplace, "Botamon is only a baby, and cannot speak yet." Katie stared at the avian individual as it poured water into small cups. The bird was twice Katy's size, covered in pure white feathers with wings that were tipped with silver. On its head, it wore a crescent shaped helmet with holes on the side for its feminine green eyes to look through. The lower part of its long neck, as well as its feet, was covered in pieces of armor that were similar in design to the helmet.

The bird set the tea kettle down next to the cups and, giving a small bow to Katy, said, "I am Swanmon, Caretaker of the Tree of Beginnings." Katy blinked.

"Tree of Beginnings?" she asked. Botamon hopped over to Swanmon, making soft crying noises and opening its mouth wide.

"Yes, dear, Tree of Beginnings. Where all Digimon are born," said Swanmon as she held one of the cups for Botamon to drink, "I take care of the baby Digimon when they first hatch and make sure the Tree is safe from harm."

Katy silently mouthed, "Digimon?" Swanmon patted the Botamon on the head. The little guy squeaked happily to Swanmon before bouncing over to Katy's side. It looked up at her, wiggling its ears. Katy absentmindedly patted Botamon, causing the small Digimon to purr quietly.

"Swanmon," Katy began, "I don't wish to bother you, but where am I? How did I get here?" Swanmon looked at the girl with a twinkle in her eye.

"You don't know? Think my dear, think back. Surely you must remember meeting the Digital Dragon of the Eastern Wind."

"Digital Dragon?" asked Katy.

"Azulongmon, dear. He was the one who personally dropped you off at my doorstep, telling me that you had someone to find." Katy's eyes opened wide as she remembered the booming voice in the darkness. Come to think of it, Dez was gone!

"Derek! H-he's been kidnapped! And Dezzy! She's gone too!" Katy's arms fell to her sides, and her face was lowered. "W-what… what should I do…?" she whimpered, overwhelmed at the thought of her friends being in trouble.

Botamon, feeling the nice sensation of being patted stop, opened its eyes and looked up at the human girl. Her shoulders rose and fell in heaves, and a single drop fell from her face, hitting Botamon on the forehead. Botamon knew that the only time someone cried was when they felt sad. Botamon, being a kind and caring Digimon, felt terrible for the girl. It wanted to make her feel better, but without a voice to ask what was wrong, could do nothing. This made Botamon sad too, so it began to cry.

Katy looked at the crying Digimon in surprise, unsure of what had started its tears. She picked it up and held it close, saying, "It's ok… I've got you. You're alright." Botamon sniffled a little. It saw that Katy was no longer crying, so that made it feel a little better, but it still hadn't solved her problem, whatever it was. Botamon rubbed its little face against hers, tickling her cheeks with its soft, downy fur.

Katy giggled at the feeling, hugging Botamon close and smiling, "Awww… You're just so cute, Botamon!" Botamon giggled along with her, now happy as could be. Something about this person made Botamon all warm inside, but it didn't know what.

Swanmon watched all this happen with great interest. She raised her eyebrows at the two as they hugged. She turned to the flame pit, and with a flap of her large wings, extinguished the fire. Katy, now unable to see in the dark night, gasped.

"Look, Katy. The Three moons are almost aligned," said Swanmon. Katy blinked, her eyes getting used to the dimmed light. She now realized that they were outside in the dead of night in a large clearing in a forest. Looking up, she saw many stars twinkle in the sky and three moons, blue, pink, and red.

"Wow…" she gasped in awe, "This is amazing." Swanmon walked over to Katy and Botamon, who was enjoying being held.

"Don't worry about your friend Desiree," Swanmon assured Katy, "Azulongmon promised me that she was in good hands and would find you when the time is right." Katy looked up at the bird, relieved that Dez was alright.

"What about Derek? Did Azulongmon…?" Swanmon shook her head, much to Katy's dismay.

"He only told me about Desiree. He was silent about your other friend." Katy nodded sadly and looked back at the sky. In her lap, Botamon yawned and closed its eyes, warm and content in Katy's embrace. Katy saw this and smiled.

"Azulongmon said that Dez and I could help Derek, but with the two of us apart, I don't know what to do. I don't even know where he is!" Swanmon listened to the girl quietly, letting her speak.

"I mean, I don't even know where I am! This can't be Earth; we've only got one moon." Swanmon folded her wings and rested her face in the crook of one, saying, "It's late. In the morning, I will be happy to tell you anything you need to know about this world. As for your friend, I have faith that Azulongmon will tell you what you need to do, he did for the Digidestined, he'll do it for you…"

Katy looked up at Swanmon quickly, "Digidestined? What are…?" But Swanmon was already asleep.

While she slept, Katy dreamed. She dreamed of a desert, hot, windy, harsh, and uninhabited. She dreamt of a tower, carved out of the same color stone as that of the desert sands, making it almost invisible. She dreamed of the door on the giant tower, high and intimidating, with a single guard out in the front. The guard stood, silent and unmoving, covered in the sand of the desert with fading armor. Katy could feel herself being pulled out of her dream and into a consciousness. But when she reached that area of neither dream nor awake, when you can dream, yet understand what it is you're seeing, right before she opened her eyes, Katy realized that the guard was dead.

"Katy?"

Katy slowly opened her eyes, blinking back the bright morning sun. Sitting on her chest, looking down at her inquisitively was the baby Botamon. When he saw that she was awake, he wiggled his ears with glee, hopping away to let her up. Katy rose from her bed of leaves and moss, rubbing her eyes cutely.

"Katy?"

Katy looked around sleepily. The fire pit had been covered in dirt and patted down. The tea kettle was set to the side along with a few tea cups, clean and shiny. Swanmon was walking towards the girl with a kind smile on her face.

"Wake up, Katy dear," she said, "We have to get moving if we're to get to the tree by breakfast." Katy, still somewhat asleep, yawned quietly before standing.

"The tree?" she asked.

"Yes dear. The Tree of Beginnings, remember?" replied the bird-like Digimon. Botamon hopped up onto Katy's head with a squeal of happiness at the sound of his favorite word. Katy wobbled a bit, not expecting the sudden weight. She reached her arms up, picking up the baby from her head and bringing him down to eye level.

"Warn me next time, Botamon. If I fell over, you might have gotten squished!" she said, smiling. The Botamon cooed happily as Katy held him in her arms. Something about this felt right. He wasn't sure, but he knew that he wouldn't mind being like this forever.

Swanmon collected the tea cups and the kettle, handing them to Katy. "Could you put these into your bag, Dear? I'm afraid my knapsack tore and won't do me any good keeping these things from falling out!" Katy blinked.

"M-my bag?" Sure enough, when Katy looked back to the bed of leaves, her light purple messenger bag was resting next to it. She picked it up, staring at the black star designs that ran down the front of it. It was much lighter than it usually was.

Swanmon opened the front flap, putting in the items and sealing it shut, but not before Katy realized that it was completely empty; her school books were nowhere to be seen. Slipping the strap around her neck, Swanmon faced away from Katy and leaned down, spreading out her wings. Botamon wiggled out of Katy's grasp and hopped onto Swanmon's back.

"Are you coming, dear?" asked Swanmon, looking over her shoulder. Katy tilted her head, unsure.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, not understanding what was being asked of her. Swanmon sighed.

"It would take forever if you walked, so I'll carry you there. The skies should be clear by now." Before Katy could reply, Swanmon had rushed the girl, scooping Katy up and tossing her onto Swanmon's own back, next to Botamon. With a skip and a hop, Swanmon thrust her great wings and they were airborne.

Flying high over the land, Swanmon grinned at the oncoming clouds. "Hold on!" she yelled to her passengers who were trying to do just that. Botamon was squealing with pure joy at being so high up, while Katy was still trying to comprehend how she left the ground.

Swanmon burst through the white puff of clouds, diving down to land gently. When she fluttered to a halt, Botamon jumped off, still giggling. Katy, somewhat in shock, slipped off in a daze.

"T-that was… that was kind of fun, actually." She stuttered. Swanmon chuckled.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now look ahead, we're here." Katy looked up and was speechless. A large, thick tree, big as a building and filled with bright green leaves and giant eggs of all colors and designs stood directly in front of her, seemingly glowing in the morning sun. Surrounding the tree in all directions were rows of bushes as tall as she was and just as full of the assortment of eggs as the tree was.

Katy stared; slack jawed at the color and brilliance of her surroundings. Swanmon laughed softly at the girl and walked after the bouncing Botamon as he hopped to the other side of the Tree.

"I'll need help with the newly hatched Babies, Katy. I'd really appreciate it if you helped." She said. Katy snapped to, following Swanmon quickly.

"Hatched?" she asked, "What do you mean?" Swanmon looked down at the girl as she fell into step beside the Digimon.

"All Digimon are hatched from these Digitama or 'Digi-eggs.' When they do, I take care of them until they become old enough to care for themselves." Katy pondered this, scratching her cheek.

"So, you're kind of like their mother?"

"Not exactly, each of these babies have real parents somewhere, or at least a family of Digimon like them. Once a year, a Trailmon comes by here and he takes each of the young Digimon to their respective homes. So I'm more like a foster-mother."

"So, who watches the Digimon when you're away?" asked Katy.

From the other side of the Tree, a shout rang out, "You little vermin! I swear, if I catch you, you're going to wish you'd never Digitized!!!" A group of young Digimon, all looking like they were being chased by the devil, ran past Katy followed by an equally scared looking Botamon. It leapt into Katy's arms, bawling.

Shortly after the group of little Digimon ran past, another soon followed, about the size of a dog, and raving mad. The Digimon ran on all four of its tri-clawed paws, growling angrily and showing off its six stubby teeth. It snorted out of its reptilian snout and flicked its large rabbit ears in annoyance. The Digimon skidded to a halt in front of Katy, tossing up a small cloud of dirt.

"Miss Swanmon!" it cried at seeing its superior standing next to the human. "I'm sorry, I was just-"

"You were just chasing a group of the youngest Digimon hatched to-date around the Tree issuing deletion threats, am I right, Elecmon?" responded the bird Digimon, crossing her wings. Elecmon stood on its hind quarters, spreading out his seven identical tails in a fan-like formation. He rubbed the back of his head, his red fur beginning to pale.

"Well, there's more to it then that…"

"Then start telling me before I 'Feather Tornado' your purple stripes off!" yelled Swanmon, obviously angered. Katy rocked Botamon gently in her arms, trying to calm the poor thing down.

"There, there. I've got you," she whispered reassuringly. She had always loved children, and hated to see one sad. Botamon's tears eventually subsided into a few sniffles as it relaxed into the girl's embrace. Elecmon watched the proceedings with great interest, eyes widening when the baby ceased to cry.

"Well, dip me in sludge and call me a Numemon! That's amazing!" he cried, moving closer to inspect the sleeping baby in Katy's arms. Katy was taken aback by this sudden complement from the smaller Digimon, who only came up to her knee.

"w-what is?" she stuttered. Elecmon looked up into her face with a confounded look.

"You are! That there Digimon is the biggest crybaby I've ever seen hatched during my time at the Tree, and you were able to shut him up almost instantly!" Katy looked down at Botamon while it slept peacefully in her arms.

"R-really?" she asked, "He calmed down fine for me." Swanmon interrupted the conversation, saying, "It is almost feeding time. Elecmon, please show Katy to the nursery where she can put Botamon down for a nap. I'll talk to you later, Elecmon," she said with a quick glare.

Elecmon gulped in worry, quickly taking Katy's hand and leading her to a large doorway that lead into the Tree. The inside of the Tree was entirely hollowed out; staircases were etched into the sides, leading up and up to the very top. Along every wall, hanging out of every inch of available space, were rainbows of assorted baskets, most decoratively colored. In many of the baskets, baby Digimon slept soundly, some quiet, others snoring like there was no tomorrow. The air smelt of baby powder and cookies, and a large music box sat in the center of the room, playing a soothing melody that echoed throughout the entire Tree.

Elecmon watched as Katy looked about in wonder, smiling all the while. "Do you like it? The Tree, I mean," he said quietly. Katy smiled down at Elecmon.

"Yes, it's beautiful!" she whispered in response.

"This Tree has existed since the beginning of the Digital World. All of the first Digimon were born here, even the Digital Dragons!" Elecmon began walking up a set of stairs that curved to match the shape of the tree, leading up to what appeared to be a room. Katy followed, sleeping Botamon in arm.

"Digital Dragons?" she asked. Elecmon looked back at her quizzically, before continuing on.

"There's a myth in your world, that the four corners of the Earth are protected by a certain dragon. I forget how it goes, but the truth is that the Digital World has pretty much the same thing. The Dragon of the East is Azulongmon. He watches over all of the Digital worlds as a whole, unlike the others who chose to watch over a particular Digital world…"

"You mean there is more than one Digital World?" asked Katy.

"Well, sure! Each one is a lil' bit diff'rent with diff'rent species of Digimon and diff'rent rules. Some were created the same way this one was, accidentally along side Earth's digital advancements, while others were programmed and created specifically for a certain purpose by some humans. Regardless of what digital world they were created in, The Digital Dragons watch over 'em all."

They had reached the end of the stair case which lead through an open door way into a little room that had been carved out of the tree. Inside was a large bed made of leaves and moss as well as a smaller bed on the opposite wall. In the center of the room sat a small wooden chest, red with gold designs around the edges. Painted in the center was a symbol that looked very much like a heart.

As Elecmon took Botamon out of Katy's hands, she asked, "Elecmon? What's this?" Elecmon looked at the chest quickly before turning to the small bed.

"That there's the crest of Caring. It's the symbol of a Digidestined that never came to the Digital World." Katy watched as Elecmon set Botamon down on the bed gently, covering it with a yellow blanket.

"Swanmon mentioned something about Digidestined before. What does that mean?" Elecmon turned to give the girl a look of pity.

"Forgive me for saying this, missie, but you don't know much, do you." Katy blushed like mad, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry for so many questions, Mr. Elecmon. I'm just really curious. I-I'll stop now," she stammered, lowering her head in an apology. Elecmon ran up to the girl.

"Hey-hey, darlin', I didn't mean anything by it! I was just saying you had a lot to learn, is all. I'll be happy to answer any of your questions!" Katy looked up, still worried that she had asked too many things.

"I wouldn't want to bother you…"

"It wouldn't be a bother," he said, sitting down and leaning against the chest, "The longer I get to talk to you, the longer Swanmon has to calm down!" Katy giggled at the thought of Swanmon being so huffy and puffy.

"She seemed so calm and cool when we met, it was sort of funny to see her get so riled," said the girl.

Elecmon winked at Katy, "She usually is, but when it comes to her babies, she's as cuddly as a Mama Tyrannomon. So, you have no clue what the Digidestined are, do you?" Katy shook her head in response, eliciting a small groan from Elecmon.

"We'll have to start with the basics then. You sit right on down, and let ol Elecmon tell you all about it…"

Meanwhile, outside the Tree, Swanmon was hard at work washing out her bronze teapot. Scrubbing the metal pot with a large leaf in a Digi-egg shell filled with warm water, she thought about the strange human girl who had arrived.

"Why is it," she asked herself, "That she was brought to me? I never deal with humans, only baby Digimon!" Her eyes glanced over to the purple messenger bag lying by her side. She set the pot down and reached into the bag for one of the cups she had brought. Her wings felt around inside the bag, finally resting on a hard object.

She retrieved her wing, now holding the object and brought it to her face to inspect it. The item in question was pure white, with a small screen and two pink buttons below it. The lower part of it was covered in pink rubber, with lines for five fingers to rest on comfortably. A thick antenna, pink as well, stuck out of the top, and there was a belt clip attached to the bottom.

Swanmon's eyes widened as the severity of the situation came to light. She looked up at the tree, as if she could see the human girl inside, chatting happily with Elecmon while Botamon slept.

"A Digidestined without a Digimon is in great danger indeed," she breathed, "What was Azulongmon thinking?!"

To be continued….

Chili: I know what you're thinking. Well, not really. But I'm guessing that you're wondering how I'm going to try to convince to click the review button. But today, I'm going to try to convince you NOT to click. That way, you'll click it just to spite me. Reverse Psychology is a wonderful thing.


	5. Q&A!:With a Slight Chance of Invasions

Chili: A Southern accent… You gave Elecmon a southern accent.

Gatamigo: Well, that's what he sounded like in Season One!

Chili: Still… A southern accent?!

Gatamigo: What's wrong with that?

Chili: Nothing, other than the fact you wrote it horribly. Seriously, don't give anymore characters weird ways of talking, ok?

Gatamigo: I make no promises. I lay no claim upon the Digimon Franchise. If I did, just imagine the lawsuit. I do, however, own Derek, Ryo, Desiree Berde, Katy Carol, and DigiDexter.

Chili: Enjoy Chapter Four!

"So, what are 'Crests'?" asked Katy. She and Elecmon had left the sleeping Botamon in the high room and continued their conversation outside. Sitting under the Tree's great branches, among the many bushes and Digi-eggs, the two chatted away like old friends.

Elecmon was a wonderful teacher, having traveled most of the digital world with his family before returning to the Tree of Beginnings to help out Swanmon. He had long wanted to spread his knowledge to someone willing to learn, and Katy fit the bill perfectly.

"Well," said Elecmon happily, "Like I said, when the Digital World was in peril, a group of Human Children were chosen to combat that threat as the Digidestined. They all had a Digimon for a partner and, using a digivice, made them Digivolve into great Digimon Champions. But that wasn't enough."

Katy tilted her head, "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Some of the Evil Digimon were much stronger than Champion level, so they had to get stronger. Each of the children had been chosen for an attribute that they had, or had forgotten. The crests were created to respond to that, giving each child the power to evolve their Digimon partner into Ultimate level. Every Digidestined has his or her own crest, even if they never find it or use it. Having a crest, though, is one of the only ways to prove that you're a Digidestined."

Katy thought about that for a moment, "The children who became Digidestined must have been very brave…" Elecmon looked at Katy confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that for someone to be able to fight alongside a Digimon against the evils in this world, to have a crest, they must have been really amazing people. I'm just ordinary, I could never do that." Katy smiled at Elecmon, "I'm not all that brave."

Elecmon's ears twitched, "Well, not all of the Digidestined were brave at first, Katy. A few were very young when they came to this world. Others spent most of their time trying to return to their world. They all had to learn how to be true Digidestined; they didn't come here knowing what to do." Katy just smiled at Elecmon.

"Say, I was wondering about Ultimate level. What does that mean?" Elecmon answered her question of course, but he knew that Katy was only trying to change the subject.

Meanwhile, many miles away, the Grizzmon ran at top speed towards the Tree. It wasn't that there was any need for such urgency; he just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Running for almost a full day while dealing with an arguing human and digivice was not something that Bear enjoyed.

_"I already told you about the Digital Matrixes, Dez; why do I need to explain it again?!"_

"Because, Dexter, when Ryo asked me about it, I told him what you told me and he said it was wrong!"

"I didn't tell you that you were wrong, Desiree! I simply said you needed more information, don't pull me into this!"

_"So, Ryo, you don't believe that my teaching practices are up to par, do you? Trying to sabotage my efforts by messing with Desiree's head, are we?"_

"Ryo's not messing with my head; a certain Digivice just didn't tell me everything!"

The conversation had carried on like so for many hours and, truthfully, Bear was tired of it. They were now traveling over an open field, following a large set of train tracks. The Tree was only another hour away, so Grizzmon decided that a stop was in order.

Thrusting his lower body sideways and digging into the ground with his front paws, Growlmon skidded to a halt, tossing the humans and digivice onto the ground.

Ryo recovered the fastest. Scrambling to his feet and stomping over to his Digimon, he yelled, "What the heck was that for?!" The boy was livid and covered in loose dirt.

"I'll tell you what that was for, Ryo," responded the Champion Level Digimon, "That was for arguing with a computer program about something that Desiree is never going to need to know. Seriously, when will she need to know what a Digital Matrix is? Unless she plans on programming her own little Digital World, which you and I both know she cannot do in this current age, she will never need that information."

Ryo stood, shocked at how forcefully Bear had responded to him. An awkward silence followed while Dez brushed her self off. Eventually, Ryo looked up at Grizzmon and muttered, "Sorry, man…" Grizzmon huffed his apology and laid down.

"Um, Ryo?" Dez asked quietly, hoping that she didn't set the red-headed boy off again, "You wouldn't have happened to meet another Tamer before, would you?" After she had asked, she realized that this was not the time to be asking more questions, but she really wanted to learn more.

Ryo gave her a questioning glance, "No…Just you. All other residents of the Digital World are Digimon. Why do you ask?"

_"We happened upon one just yesterday," _chirped Dexter, still clipped to one of Desiree's belt loops. _"Quite a mean fellow, actually. He and his Cyberdramon were the reason we, erm, dropped in on you two." _Bear's eyes shot open. He lifted his head and looked at Ryo. Ryo stared at Dez, mouth agape.

"A…a Cyberdramon?" gasped the boy, "Are you sure?!"

_"If you don't believe me, I'll show you for yourself. I scanned his Digimon data and the Tamer's credentials from his Digivice before we fell."_ Ryo's Digivice beeped a few times, signaling the Data transfer had been successful. As Ryo read the words on the little screen, Dez continued talking.

"He broke up the ground the same way you turned that Airdramon into an Egg…That's why I fell."

"The Fractal Code!" Grizzmon said to Ryo with urgency in his voice, "He's absorbing Data directly from the Digital World!"

Ryo thrust his digivice back into his pocket, scrambling up Bear's back. "We need to get to Swanmon and fast!" Desiree was thoroughly confused by now.

"WH-what? Why? What's going on?" No one responded, nor did the girl have time to ask another question, for the Grizzmon had picked her up with his front paws and roughly deposited her onto his back alongside Ryo.

"Full speed ahead, Bear! We don't have a moment to lose!" Ryo yelled as Bear took off.

"What the heck is Fractal Code?!" screamed Dez.

"It's what I scanned from that Airdramon! It makes up the base for all life in the Digital World, even you and me! But if he had Cyberdramon absorb the energy directly from that Terminal, then he must want it very badly," said Ryo through gritted teeth.

"And if he wants it badly enough to take it from the ground, he'll certainly try it again at the tree of Beginnings! All of those baby Digimon are full of Fractal Code, and in their young age, wouldn't stand a chance against him! It'd be a massacre!" added Bear as he ran.

_"But that would mean the end of the Tree of Beginnings!"_ squawked Dexter. _"And with no more Tree, that means…"_

Silence fell upon the group, for they all had realized what that meant. Desiree almost vomited at the thought. If there was no more Tree of Beginnings, then that would mean that no more Digieggs would hatch, and the Digimon would go extinct

Swanmon sat in the High room of the Tree of Beginnings, directly in front of the red wooden chest. Botamon snored quietly on the bed of leaves behind her, but she didn't have time to worry about that now. Holding the digivice in her wing, Swanmon took a deep breath and slowly moved the wing towards the chest.

She held it there, waiting for some sort of reaction, but nothing happened. With a sigh of relief, Swanmon set the digivice down on the floor.

"Here I was all worried for nothing," she said to herself. Suddenly, from down in the main room, one of the many baby Digimon began to cry.

"Oh, dear. Poor Pagumon is awake. I'm coming, little one!" she cried as she flew down the stairs. Her cry had inadvertently woken up Botamon. It blinked a few times, getting used to its surroundings.

The last thing that it had remembered was being safe and warm in the human girl's arms. Botamon remembered how nice it felt to be held like that, and thought that it would very much like to be there again. However, when it looked around the room it was in, it realized that the girl was no longer around. Botamon suddenly began to feel sad, but, being a big Digimon now, resolved not to cry. Instead, it would show both Swanmon just how grown-up it was by finding the girl all by itself.

Hopping off the bed of leaves, Botamon turned to leave the room when it saw something out of the corner of his eye. Sitting next to a large red chest sat a small white and pink object. Botamon bounded over to the trinket, curious as to what it was.

The object in question was hard, pink, and white. Botamon had never seen something like this before, and was very confused by it. However, something told it that this belonged to the human girl, so it picked it up in its mouth and bounced off to find her.

Katy had grown tired of the conversation with Elecmon. Not that she wanted to stop talking to him, but all of this information was starting to give her a headache. She had lain out in the soft, warm grass and watched the sun light flicker through the dense canvas of leaves and branches above her. When the light reflected off the eggs that hung high in the tree, she thought, it made a rainbow of colors that added to the bright and cheerful feeling of this place.

"Katy? Are you awake?" asked Elecmon, who had taken an egg from a nearby bush and was polishing it with a white rag. Katy rolled her head to the side to look at the red Digimon rookie.

"I'm just resting, Elecmon. It's such a nice day out today!" Elecmon chuckled.

"That it is, Katy," He said, "That it is." The two sat in silence, both enjoying the other's company. Katy hadn't felt so peaceful in a long time, but in that moment, al of her fears and worries seemed to melt away. Oh, she hadn't forgotten about her friends, or the fact that she was anywhere but home, but the need to think about and worry about these things just didn't exist.

Katy looked up through the branches to see a small silhouette flying high up in the sky. It was too far away to see what it was, but it looked to be a person.

"Hey, Elecmon? What's that up there?" she asked, pointing. Elecmon followed her line of sight, tilting his head.

"It's probably a Digimon, Katy, although I can't think of any Digimon of that size with six wings."

Katy shrugged, resting her head back down onto the grass, "Oh well, I was just curious."

"Well that's strange…" said Elecmon quietly. Katy popped open one eye and asked, "What's strange?"

"Well, I'm not sure, but I think that whatever it is… It's diving at us."

Katy sat up quickly at stared back at the dark object. It got bigger by the second as it dived closer and closer. A chill ran through Katy's spine. She didn't know why, but every fiber of her being screamed at her to run.

"Elecmon!" she screamed, grabbing her friend and diving away. The creature crashed in the exact same spot where the two had been resting. The force of its landing sent shockwaves that shook the bushes violently and caused branches of the Tree to break.

The reptilian Digimon growled menacingly, looking left and right with its eyeless face. Cyberdramon snarled and clenched its clawed hands. From his back jumped the boy tamer, who landed next to his terrifying Digimon with a thud.

From behind her bush, Katy's eyes widened with fear. Something about this boy gave her a feeling that she didn't like, as if she subconsciously knew the danger he would bring to her and the Digimon.

The boy looked around the area with a smirk. "Perfect," he said, "With the Fractal Code we gain from this place, I'll have more than enough to finally complete my goal." Cyberdramon only grunted in response.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" said Swanmon as she approached the two intruders.

"Ah, Swanmon, my dear," said the boy venomously, "I was wondering when you would arrive." Swanmon spread her wings and scowled menacingly at the boy.

"Don't try your sweet talk on me, Shyde!" she spat, "You'll never get a single scan out of this place! I won't let you!"

"Who said I was going to ask your permission?!" he screamed, "Cyberdramon! Secure her!"

Cyberdramon flicked his wings, bursting forward at great speed. Swanmon barely had time to cry out before the large dragon-man Digimon had his strong arms around her long neck. Swanmon flailed and struggled, trying desperately to get away. Katy covered her mouth to suppress a gasp as Shyde laughed evilly.

"Do you see now? You're powers are nothing compared to Cyberdramon's! I need this data, and I'm going to have it!" said the boy as he slowly stalked towards Swanmon.

Elecmon clenched his paws and gritted his teeth, "Cyberdramon is an Ultimate level Digimon, and Swanmon is only a weak Champion Level at best! She won't stand a chance!" he whispered. Katy looked down at her friend with tears in her eyes.

"W-what can we do?" she breathed. Elecmon closed his eyes. His ears drooped and his tails folded themselves back into one.

"There isn't much we _can_ do. Katy, you need to get the baby Digimon to safety. Go back to the tree and round up as many of the children as you can. Swanmon and I will stall these goons for as long as possible. Get as far away from the Tree as you can!"

Katy's eyes widened, "You just said that Swanmon wouldn't stand a chance and you're a level below her! You'll die!"

Elecmon sat there, unmoving. For a second, Katy thought maybe he had changed his mind. The red Digimon flicked his ears and looked up into Katy's tearful eyes. With a determined look, Elecmon replied, "I know."

The two friends stood there in silence for a moment, both knowing that this could be the last time they saw each other. Without a word, Katy turned and ran for the Tree, silently spilling tears for the friend she had found and lost in a single day.

**To be continued…**

Gatamigo: Do you want to know what happened the last time I didn't click a button? I was chased all over town by a group of yowling rabid alley cats. They didn't leave me alone until I climbed a street light and threw my shoes at them. And all because I didn't click that stupid review button. Well, actually, it was partly the tuna that Chili stuffed into my back pockets; but it was mostly the button's fault. Don't let this happen to _any_ of you!


	6. Shinka Link: Tokomon Is On The Scene!

Gatamigo: How was that for drama? Eh?

Chili: Ok, so maybe this thing isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Gatamigo: Oh wow. W-was that a complement, Chili?

Chili: Are you kidding? Your writing still stinks, but it's not as bad as I was told. At least you use full sentences.

Gatamigo: Gee, thanks. I do not own Digimon, not even the second 'I' in the name. I do, however, own the characters Desiree Berde, Katy Carol, Ryo, Shyde, Derek, and DigiDexter.

Chili: Enjoy chapter Five. I command you to.

"There it is!" cried Ryo, pointing over the ridge. Bear nodded and burst into a full run. From her spot behind Ryo on the Grizzmon's back, Desiree could see the colorful Tree of Beginnings in the distance.

"Oh, wow," the small girl breathed, amazed by the beauty of their destination.

"It's quite something, isn't it?" asked Ryo over his shoulder. Dez only nodded.

"If we don't hurry," added Bear, "It'll be quite nothing. Just like the future of Digimon as a species!"

_ "If we have any luck,"_ chirped DigiDexter from his spot on Desiree's belt, _"Those brutes haven't arrived yet!"_ Moments after suggesting this idea, an explosion ripped through the dense canopy, trailing thick black smoke. Dez glared down at her Digivice.

_"Guess we're not that lucky after all?"_ muttered Dexter sheepishly.

Elecmon lay on his side, breathing heavily. He was covered with bruises and cuts from the beating he was taking. At the rate things were going, he wouldn't last much longer. The small red rabbit Digimon looked up into the snarling face of the human boy, Shyde. It was almost an insult to Elecmon's Digimon pride that all it took was one lousy human to take him down.

Sneaking a quick look out the corner of his eye, Elecmon could see Cyberdramon still holding a crying Swanmon back from aiding her friend. Elecmon closed his eyes and quietly let a few tears fall.

"I'm sorry, Swanmon… Katy… I'm so sorry."

"What's that you're muttering, Rookie?" spat the human, adding extra emphasis to Elecmon's level. Elecmon painfully rose to his feet, shuddering as his tired muscles barely held himself up. He stared Shyde in the eye with a look of defiance.

"I asked if you've had enough yet," replied the injured Elecmon, "Or if you're hungry for more!" All he had to do was stall these brutes long enough for Katy to get the baby Digimon and get away from the Tree. He didn't know how long that would take, but he wasn't going to give up just yet.

"Have I had enough?" asked the boy, "I think my last blow scrambled your brain, you pathetic excuse for a digital monster. If you haven't noticed, I'm not the one having trouble standing."

Cyberdramon growled approvingly and nodded in his tamer's direction. The reptilian Digimon tightened his grip around Swanmon's neck, resulting in a small cry from the once proud bird-like Digimon.

"Not yet, Cyberdramon," said Shyde, "You'll get your chance to delete something. This one is mine." Shyde glared down at Elecmon with an evil grin on his face. Elecmon shuddered in fear, not for himself, but for Katy if this ended before she could escape.

Katy ran around the Tree, trying to move bouncing Digimon into one single and ordered group. The effort wasn't going so well.

"You in the orange!" she yelled to a tiny Tsunomon, "Stop poking the pink one with your horn! You with the wings! Get behind the others!" Katy moved the babies as fast as she could, but there wasn't going to be enough time. Even if she found and mobilized the Digimon as quickly as she could, where would they go? Other than the Tree and the field a ways away, Katy had never been anywhere in the Digital World. It would be like the blind leading the blind.

In frustration and fear, Katy slumped to the floor. As the many Digimon ran around helter-skelter, the human girl began to cry. Her shoulders rose and fell in heaves as she let her tears fall. So much had happened to her at once, she felt as if she was being smothered.

"Buh?" chimed a small voice. Katy opened her eyes to see the little Botamon sitting in front her with a concerned look on its face. It didn't like to see Katy cry, and wanted to do something to make her feel better.

"Oh, Botamon…" whimpered Katy, "I'm sorry. I can't do it. I just can't. I'm not strong enough. I…" Katy covered her face again with her arms, crying, "I'm no Digidestined!"

Botamon's eyes widened at her words. In the back of his young mind, the word 'Digidestined' triggered something. Like a memory from a life past.

Botamon turned to the white and pink object that it had found. It had meant to bring it to Katy, but now that she was crying, she may not want it. But, it did still belong to her, so…

"K…Ka..." mumbled Botamon, trying to get the word to come out right. It frowned at its inability to say the girl's name correctly. Big Digimon could do it, why not Botamon? The baby Digimon scrunched up its face.

"Ka…Kate…Katy! Katy! KatyKatyKaty!" cried the Botamon as it bounced around happily. Katy snapped her eyes open in shock.

"Was that…" thought Katy, "Was that Botamon's first word? My name?" Botamon smiled up at the girl, who had apparently stopped crying. If it could make her feel better by saying her name, she'd be so happy to receive the pink thing it had brought!

Botamon gripped the belt clip in its tiny teeth, dragging it over to Katy's lap. It rested its little face against her knees and looked up at her expectantly. Katy slowly picked up the digivice in her hands and held it close to her face.

"This is…" said Katy, "This is the Digivice Derek gave to me." She looked down at the Botamon. Had it brought it to her to cheer her up? She smiled happily and stroked the baby Digimon, who purred softly.

"Thank you, Botamon. I… I may not be strong enough to be a Digidestined, but you guys are counting on me. I can't give up now!" With her determination rising, Katy stood and looked at the baby Digimon as they played. She had to hide them, at all cost.

Botamon hopped to her side, rubbing against her ankle. There was something about the human girl that made him happy. He felt it in her touch and in her words. Deep down inside, he just knew that he was supposed to be with her forever.

Suddenly, Katy's digivice began to glow. The screen flashed a brilliant pink as the words; 'Shinka Link' was displayed in white. A burst of energy flew out of the device, circling the tree before crashing into Botamon. Botamon cried out once before beginning to glow.

"Botamon!" cried Katy as she shielded her eyes from the light.

_101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101_

_Botamon Digivolve to…_

_TOKOMON!_

_101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101_

Botamon ceased glowing. His body was now covered in soft pink fuzz, which looked more like skin. He had four tiny legs that held him off the ground. His eyes had changed from gold to black and beady, His ears stretched out like a rabbit's, only in a zigzag fashion. Two little stubby fangs stuck out from his upper lip.

With a big smile and a triumphant cry, the once Botamon proclaimed "Hiya, Katy! I'm Tokomon, your Digimon partner!"

Before Katy could respond to the strange turn of events, Tokomon turned to the mass of babies and yelled, "Listen up! Katy has something she needs us to do! You're going to listen to her and do what she says, do you guys understand?"

The baby Digimon looked at Tokomon and simultaneously nodded. Tokomon had been one of them, but now that he was a big Digimon, they listened to him.

Katy blinked twice before saying shyly, "Um… There's some bad Digimon coming here! We need to go somewhere safe where they won't find us…"

In their little baby Digimon language, the toddlers began mumbling amongst themselves. Katy stood wondering what would happen next. Would they listen to her? All of a sudden, the babies began filing out of the front door of the tree quietly and in order. The oldest Digimon went first, carrying the youngest ones. The rest followed silently behind.

Tokomon smiled up at Katy. "See, all you need to do is speak their language!"

"Wh-where are they going?" stammered Katy.

"If I heard them correctly," responded Tokomon, "They're heading for the river. There are some caves down there that we can hide out in for a bit. Some of the Digimon that have already Digivolved and gone to their new homes used to use the caves for a fort."

Katy looked down at the grinning Digimon with awe. "Y-you're Botamon, right?" The pink Digimon giggled happily.

"No, not exactly, I used to be a Botamon, but now I'm a Tokomon! I'm the same Digimon on the inside, but now that you made me Digivolve, I'm different on the outside!"

Katy blinked a few times, pondering Tokomon's last statement. "I made you Digivolve?"

"You sure did, Katy!"

"But how?"

"All the Digidestined do it," giggled Tokomon, "Your digivice channeled your power into me, allowing me to Digivolve!"

Katy held the pink and white Digivice up to her face. A Digidestined; she couldn't be! She wasn't anywhere close to being as great as one of the Digidestined! But as she thought these things, the words of her friend Elecmon ran through her head:

"_Well, not all of the Digidestined were brave at first, Katy. A few were very young when they came to this world. Others spent most of their time trying to return to their world. They all had to learn how to be true Digidestined; they didn't come here knowing what to do…"_

Katy smiled down at Tokomon, who squeezed his eyes happily, giving his tamer a huge grin.

"Ok, Tokomon… Let's go help hide the other Digimon." Tokomon scampered to the door as fast as his stubby legs would carry him, "Yeah! Those bad Digimon can't stop us!"

"AH!" screamed Elecmon as his back hit the ground. Shyde walked towards the small Digimon with an evil glint in his eyes.

"Are you done yet? Or are you hungry for more?" mocked the human tamer.

"Please…" begged Swanmon, still held by a snarling Cyberdramon, "Let him alone… Please…"

"Shut up!" yelled Shyde, "I want this area's Fractal Code! Every. Last. Drop." Elecmon shivered under the boy's evil glare. Elecmon knew he wouldn't last much longer. Had he stalled the intruders long enough? Were Katy and the babies safe?

"Now, I'm going to get what I need!" screamed Shyde as he stood in front of Elecmon's quivering form. As Shyde raised his digivice high in the air, Elecmon closed his eyes tight and waited for the end to come.

Cyberdramon sniffed the air twice, dropping Swanmon quickly and roaring at his tamer. From seemingly out of nowhere, two crescent shockwaves exploded into Cyberdramon, knocking the dragon-man Digimon to the ground.

With Ryo on his head and Dez on his back, Bear the Grizzmon burst into view, roaring loudly, "Leave Swanmon alone!"

Ryo jumped off of Bear and ran towards Shyde. Dez slid off of the giant bear Digimon and ran behind a nearby bush.

Shyde's eyes widened in shock as the red headed tamer rushed him. Ryo threw a punch at Shyde's face, hoping to catch him off guard. Shyde ducked under the punch, springing up and catching Ryo square in the jaw. Ryo fell back a few paces before shaking off the hit and rushing his opponent again.

Cyberdramon wasted no time retaliating against the purple bear Digimon, slashing at Grizzmon with his sharp red claws. Grizzmon was surprisingly fast for his size, dodging every swipe from Cyberdramon with ease. Seeing that Grizzmon would never be hit with this type of attack, Cyberdramon decided to attack from afar, flicking his wings and springing backwards.

Shyde dropped to the ground and attempted to kick Ryo's legs out from under him, but Ryo jumped over the kick, landing in front of Shyde fully balanced.

Grizzmon jumped back, widening his stance and watching his foe carefully. The two Digimon stood off silently, both ready to strike at a moment's notice. Swanmon had regained full consciousness after being strangled by the Cyberdramon. Swiftly appearing at Elecmon's side, she picked up the battered Digimon and ran away from the battle field.

Shyde rolled back, evading another blow from the angry Ryo. Ryo growled in frustration and leapt at Shyde. The two grappled tightly, rolling over and over, trying to gain dominance. They kicked, they spit, they pressed, and they shoved, trying to throw each other off.

Cyberdramon launched a barrage of attacks at Grizzmon, slashing his claws through the air at a blinding speed.

"_Erase Claw!"_ he screamed with fury. Grizzmon threw a barrage of attacks right back at Cyberdramon, almost mirroring his movements exactly.

"_Crescent Dawn!" _cried the purple bear Digimon. The energy of both blasts connected in the center, exploding in burst of light and throwing up a fierce wind. From behind her bush, Dez covered her face with her arms.

"_This is not what I call a fun day in the park!"_ chirped Dexter as he swung attached to Desiree's belt loop. The blast had thrown Cyberdramon off of its feet, giving Grizzmon a moment to attack headlong.

"_Maul Attack!"_ screamed the giant bear as he pounced on Cyberdramon. Bear swung with his left paw, then his right, finally slamming both paws down on Cyberdramon's chest, knocking the dragon like Digimon out cold.

Ryo and Shyde had let each other go, breaking off for a moment of rest. Huffing and puffing, both boys stared at the other, neither wanting to look away and give the other an opening.

"What…" huffed Ryo, "What do you plan to do with the Tree's Fractal Code?" Shyde just smirked as he breathed heavily.

"If I told you, you'd just try to stop me, so why bother?"

"You know that I cannot allow you to damage the Digimon like this, Shyde."

"I know. But I'm going to. You know fully well that you cannot stop me. We're two sides of the same coin, Ryo. As you improve, so do I. You cannot beat me alone," chuckled Shyde evilly.

"He doesn't have to!" cried Katy as she and Tokomon burst out of a nearby bush, "Tokomon, go for it!" Tokomon leapt at the shocked human, opening his mouth twice as wide as he was high, revealing two rows of impossibly sharp teeth.

"Take this, you big meanie!" screamed Tokomon as he chomped down, narrowly missing Shyde's right leg. Shyde lost his balance and fell on his backside with a thud.

"Now, Tokomon!" ordered Katy without hesitation, "Use your bubbling attack!"

"Right, Katy! Go,_ Baby Bubbles_!" Tokomon opened his mouth and fired a rapid release of bubbles. The attack hit Shyde directly in the face, causing the boy to cry out and fall backwards, stunned at the current turn of events.

Dez leapt up from her hiding place, screaming out happily, "Katy! You're ok!" Ryo looked inquisitively at the girl in front of him.

"Katy?" he asked, not expecting any response, "That's Katy?"

Grizzmon, who had been watching the fight with intrigue, felt something move from beneath him. He looked down at Cyberdramon, who was supposedly unconscious, quickly enough to see the armored monster grin wickedly.

"Erase Claw!" cried Cyberdramon as he thrust his clawed hand deep into Bear's chest.

"Bear!" screamed Ryo, eyes wide with fear. Desiree stared in shock. Katy's resolve fell and Tokomon stopped his barrage to gasp. Shyde recovered from the bubble attack and began to chuckle, when suddenly, his face fell.

"Cyberdramon!" he cried out, "Look down!"

Cyberdramon grinned evilly at the look of pain on Bear's face as the purple Digimon's Fractal began to glow from his chest. But Bear chuckled quietly as a small smile graced the bear's lips.

"Yeah, Cyberdramon…" said Bear weakly, "Look down."

Cyberdramon did look down, and saw Bear's claws embedded in his chest, just as his claws were in Bear's.

The two opponents smiled at each other, before removing their claws and collapsing on either side of each other.

"Desiree!" cried Dexter, "Quickly! Scan Cyberdramon's Fractal code! He's holding all the code that Shyde's stolen from that terminal!" Without thinking, Dez grabbed her digivice and held it high.

"Got it!" she said as she ran at Cyberdramon's still form, swiping Dexter through the air.

"Fractal Code, Digitize; Purification!" Cyberdramon began to glow and its body began to disintegrate.

"NO!" screamed Shyde as the fractal code flew into Desiree's Digivice. He scrambled to his feet and rushed the girl, but Ryo was there to stop him. Ryo quickly tripped Shyde and the boy landed face first into the dirt.

The fragments from Cyberdramon's body coalesced into a white and grey striped egg which quickly flew to Shyde's side. The boy grimaced and meekly whispered, "Cyberdramon…"

Ryo glared down at the boy as Shyde pulled the egg to his chest. "There's a price to pay for what you've done. Consider yourself lucky I don't break that egg right now." Shyde quickly rose to his feet and ran from the Tree.

"You haven't seen the last of me! I'll get you for this one day!" he cried as he disappeared over a hill. The group silently watched him go.

"Ryo…" murmured the injured Bear. Ryo ran to his side.

"No, Grizzmon!" Ryo proclaimed, "Hold on, buddy, you can make it!" Grizzmon coughed violently and shuddered.

"I…I don't think so, master. My body is beginning to fail."

"Grizzmon, don't give up!" cried the boy, a few tears beginning to fall, "After all we've been through, it can't end like this."

The two girls and Tokomon looked on with a deep sadness. None of them knew what to do.

"If you have any faith in me, it won't," said Swanmon as she landed beside Grizzmon. On her back was the injured Elecmon holding the Chest from the High Room.

"Elecmon!" cried Katy happily as she ran to her friend. Tokomon followed her over to Swanmon where he nuzzled his caretaker lovingly. Elecmon weakly held out the chest to Katy.

"Open it." He said with determination, "It's the only way to save Grizzmon." Katy was taken aback.

"What? But that's for-"

"One of the Digidestined, I know," replied Elecmon, "But I believe that Digidestined is you Katy. I may not have known you for very long, but I've seen your compassion and kindness towards others. You worry more about others than you do yourself and are ready to do whatever it takes to make sure they're ok. You're the perfect Digidestined of Caring, Katy."

"The Digidestined of Caring," added Swanmon "is said to have great healing powers when using the Crest of Caring. If you can open that chest, it will prove that you are that Digidestined, and thus will be able to save both Grizzmon… and Elecmon."

Katy looked from Elecmon, to Swanmon, to the coughing Grizzmon and the crying Ryo by his side. Tokomon nudged her ankle gently, looking up at her and whispering, "I believe in you, Katy. You can do it."

Katy smiled at her little Digimon partner and turned to the chest. Hesitantly, she raised her right hand, and rested it onto the chest. From inside the chest, something clicked, and the lid rose slowly. A soft pink light floated out of the chest, hovering directly in front of Katy's face. Hesitantly, and with caution, Katy reached up and touched the light with a single finger.

The ball of light burst, showering Katy with sparks that spun and shimmered around her. Her digivice beeped rapidly as the sparks recombined into a ball and flew into Katy's hand. When the light faded away, Katy looked into her palm to see a small, pink, heart shaped gem, still glowing with energy. Attached to the top of the tiny heart were a small silver chain and a paper tag. Katy held the tag up to her face and read, "May your thoughts flow with Caring…?"

The gem in her hand shone bright as a ray of energy flew out to Elecmon and Grizzmon encompassing the two injured Digimon. Elecmon's injuries began to heal almost instantly, disappearing as if they had never even been there.

Ryo's eyes widened as his bear-like Digimon began to shine a pure white, Grizzmon's form shrinking as his wounds were healed. The light dissipated, leaving a small black furry mass in a crumpled heap at Ryo's feet. The Digimon, formerly Grizzmon slowly got to his feet, groaning.

"You did it, Katy!" said Tokomon as he hopped about Katy's feet happily.

"Go, Katy!" yelled Dez, punching the air with her fist.

"_This is extraordinary! Colossal! I MUST input this into my files ASAP!"_ chirped Dexter on Desiree's belt.

"Katy…" said Elecmon as he looked over his scar-less body, "You're really…"

Katy held her Digivice up high in the air, proclaiming elatedly, "I'm a Digidestined!"

To Be Continued…

Chili: Click the button. We have cookies. Well, we got them when we pretended to join the Dark Side, but they're still cookies. And truthfully, who doesn't like cookies?


	7. Pit Stop: The Beginning of Something New

Gatamigo: Ok, now that that's out of the way…

Chili: I really don't get you, man. How the heck can a crest be a heart shaped gem? I mean, really! They're supposed to be flat and hang off of a tag! Didn't you watch Season one?

Gatamigo: Did you?

Chili: Well… maybe… when there wasn't anything else to watch, I might have seen a few episodes…

Gatamigo: Mm-hmm.

Chili: WHAT?

Gatamigo: I don't own Digimon: Digital Monsters. Simple as that. However, I do own (at least partly) the characters Desiree Berde, Katy Carol, Ryo, Shyde, DigiDexter, and Derek Pierre.

Chili: Oh, and a big thanks to KaoruKoishii for all of your help in the betaing process.

Gatamigo: Thank you, Panda-chan! And I hope you all enjoy chapter six!

The sun beamed strongly down onto the windy desert. The sand whipped and flew about, caught up in the wind as it blew throughout the parched land. Here, among the dunes, stood the Hidden Tower, the hiding place of the Digital World's biggest regret. The tip of the mighty tower shone in the sun, reflecting a beam that could blind anyone who stared directly at it.

Suddenly, the blistering wind swept through the great desert with renewed force, whipping up sand into a fierce sandstorm. The storm quickly passed around the tower, surrounding it in a wall of sand and wind. Even the Digital Dragons, Gods among Digimon, would have trouble piercing through this sandstorm. The wall was impenetrable.

However, moments after the sandstorm rose, a blur of color passed through the wall, diving into the desert sands and burrowing away almost too fast for the eye to see.

The mysterious creature disappeared from sight, heading towards the edge of the desert, a dangerous and sinister mission to complete.

Tokomon snored lightly as he slept happily on Katy's lap. The girl's were now seated on the floor inside the Tree of Beginnings, surrounded by the baby Digimon as they played. Swanmon was pouring some tea for her guests and giving Elecmon instructions as he ran around the room, trying to catch a naughty Digi-baby for its bath. Ryo was leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He appeared to be deep in thought, so the others hadn't bothered him.

The girls chatted away, happy to see each other again after their ordeals, although Katy agreed that Dez had the worse day. The two had shared stories of their little adventures, Tokomon waking and adding a few things now and again for Katy and Dexter chirping up every five minutes to say something demeaning for Dez.

"I did not almost pee my pants!" yelled Dez at her electronic cohort.

_"You did too! When that Airdramon almost ate you, you looked like you were about to die of heart failure!"_

"No, you offered to GIVE me heart failure so it WOULDN'T eat me!"

_"The offer still stands, you know."_

Katy giggled quietly as both Dez and Dexter fought over how to tell the story. She had really been worried about Dez and, except for almost dying multiple times, Dez was alright. She had even made some new friends, which was always a plus. Katy looked over to Ryo as he stood silently.

Setting the sleeping Tokomon down, Katy stood and walked over to Ryo. The boy opened an eye and acknowledged her presence before closing his eyes again. Nervously twiddling her thumbs, Katy meekly asked, "Uh… Mr. Ryo? You're awfully quiet. Is something the matter?"

Ryo's eyes snapped open and he glared at the girl. She quivered under his glare, suddenly regretting asking. But when he saw her reaction, he dropped his look and turned away.

"No, I'm not alright, Katy. My best friend almost died today and I'm still a little shaken up by it."

Katy nodded, understanding his feelings. There had almost been three casualties during that fight, including her new friend Elecmon. An awkward silence passed between the two before Ryo added, "But he didn't die. And that is thanks to you, Digidestined. So, thank you."

Katy blushed at his sentiment. She had always had a problem receiving complements or thanks, even from her close friends. So to have this person she had only just met thank her was a little much for her to handle.

"Y-you're welcome, Mr. Ryo…" she stammered, turning and walking back to Desiree's side.

The boy watched her go, sighing heavily at returning to his anti-social stance. He hated that he had to be so two-faced; kind and helpful one moment and dark and brooding the next. Grizzmon's near-death experience had scared Ryo. And Ryo rarely became scared. He clenched his fists as he thought about what Shyde had almost done to him, to the Tree, and to all of the Digimon.

"Master? Are you alright?" said a voice from below Ryo. Ryo looked down at his Digimon partner, now only as tall as his thigh. The digimon looked like a large bear cub. As it stood onto its back legs, it dusted off its white underbelly with its front paws.

It adjusted the blue strap that wrapped over one shoulder and under the opposite arm to the front, attached with a big yellow buckle. Its paws were wrapped with similar straps, intertwining between the bears three claws and just as blue as the large strap around its middle. Before looking up at its tamer, the digimon put on its dark blue baseball cap, emblazoned in the back with the word "Bears."

Ryo gave a small smile to the digimon, replying, "I'm fine, Bear. I'm just thinking about stuff." Bear giggled happily.

"Wow!" he said with mirth, "Ryo thinking? Better duck and cover, Apocalymon's coming!"

Ryo's smile turned into a frown, "Bearmon! I'm not an idiot, you know."

Bearmon just shrugged as he walked away to join the girl's and Tokomon, "That's debatable, Ryo. That's very debatable!" Ryo huffed and went back to his brooding.

Bearmon plopped himself down next to Katy, smiling cheerfully at the girl as he did so. "Hi!" he said, "We haven't been formally introduced yet. I'm Bear the Bearmon!"

"I'm Katy. Katy Carol," replied Katy, reaching out to shake Bear's paw. Bearmon happily shook Katy's hand, grinning from ear to ear.

Dez, who had gotten Dexter to shut up for the moment, looked over at the Bear-cub Digimon curiously.

"Hey, I have a question…" began Dez hesitantly, "You used to be Grizzmon, right? Why are you so…not big?"

Bearmon blinked at Dez, "You really don't remember? Back our cave, we told you about Digimon's levels. I used to be a Champion, but I De-Digivolved into my rookie form."

"When I first met Bear, he was a Bearmon," added Ryo from his emo corner, "He Digivolved shortly after into Grizzmon and has been that way until now."

"Tokomon was only a baby when I met him," said Katy as she gestured to the snoring Tokomon next to her, "But, he Digivolved into Tokomon when he gave me my digivice as Botamon."

Dez looked from Bear to Ryo to Katy to Tokomon in a pattern, looking more bewildered with every turn. She grabbed her forehead as if she had a migraine and shuddered noticeably.

"So…many…monsters…" she muttered, causing the group to sweatdrop. Swanmon walked over holding a tray of steaming teacups, smiling cheerfully. She passed the cups out one by one, receiving grateful smiles and glances from her guests.

Bearmon, however, blushed profusely when Swanmon gave him his cup. He hid his eyes under his ball cap's rim, averting his gaze to anything but the graceful Bird Digimon.

"Th-thank you… Swanmon, ma'am…" he stuttered. Katy noticed Bearmon's face as he said this.

"Could Bearmon…" thought Katy, "Have a crush on Swanmon?"

Swanmon gave a small smile to Bearmon, turning away looking worried. Katy tilted her head wondering what could be bothering her.

Tokomon opened his eyes to the smell of the tea, bouncing up from his seat and guzzling the cloudy liquid loudly.

"I love Swanmon's Digi-honey tea!" he proclaimed once he had licked the cup clean. Swanmon laughed happily at the Tokomon's remark.

"I'm glad you like it so much, but I'm afraid that's the last we're going to have for a while. We're completely out of the ingredients and the next Trailmon to town doesn't come for a few days." Tokomon gasped, turning to Katy quickly with a face of terror.

"Oh no, Katy! Without the ingredients, Swanmon can't make Digi-honey tea! This is terrible!" Katy did her best not to laugh at the frightened Digimon before her. He was terrified at the thought of being unable to have his favorite treat.

"S-Swanmon, Ryo and I-I could get the ingredients… Town's not that f-far." offered Bear with a slight stutter. The small bear Digimon still couldn't look Swanmon in the eye.

"Oh, that would be wonderful, Bearmon! Thank you so much!" gushed Swanmon, giving Bear a hug and smiling. Bear looked like he was about to pass out.

Ryo quickly removed Bear from the female's grasp, nudging his friend towards the door before the Digimon threw up.

"We'll head there now, since there's not much else to do. See you guys!"

"Now, hold up one minute!" cried Tokomon as he jumped onto Katy's head, "I want to go too! I know the best ingredients for that tea!" Swanmon nodded to affirm Tokomon's request.

"Yes, Tokomon, You and Katy can go with Ryo and Bearmon."

Katy blinked twice before asking, "When did I get volunteered for this?"

"Right now," replied Tokomon, biting Katy's pant leg and pulling playfully. Dez stood and began to follow Ryo out the door.

"I might as well go with them," she said, "I'd like to keep an eye on my Strawberry from now on, thank you."

"Stop calling me that!" whined Katy as she sulkily followed her bouncing Tokomon.

Before Katy walked out the door, Swanmon called for her.

"Katy, dear, wait!" Katy poked her head back inside.

"What, Swanmon?" Swanmon slowly walked over to Katy and tapped the heart shaped pendant around the girl's neck with her wing.

"This Crest is meant for you to use… Only those with a great destiny ahead of them are able to gain one. Don't worry about it, though, my dear. You can do it. Believe in that, and you'll do fine." Katy looked thoughtfully down at her crest. After a moment, she lifted her gaze and smiled at Swanmon.

"Thank you, Swanmon. I won't let you down," chirped Katie happily. With a quick wave to Elecmon, the girl departed from the Tree of Beginnings. Swanmon watched her go with a heavy heart. The majestic bird Digimon sighed and turned to climb the long, winding staircase to the Upper room. Elecmon, who was drying off one baby after its bath, looked up at the depressed Swanmon and tilted his head.

"What's wrong, Swanmon?" he asked, worried at her sudden change in attitude.

"Nothing Elecmon," responded Swanmon coldly. "Everything is going just as it should go." As she ascended the stairway, a single tear fell down her cheek.

"Just as it should go… But, why does it feel so wrong?" she muttered before disappearing into the high room.

Sitting in the light of a single candle, surrounded by dusty old furniture and broken glass, Shyde glared down at the Digiegg before him. It had been a full day since his Digimon had been bested in battle with Ryo and Grizzmon, and the egg didn't seem to be hatching anytime soon.

"What is wrong with you?" screamed Shyde as he quickly stood. The boy ran his hands through his hair and adjusted his glasses before beginning to pace around the egg clockwise. With his hands behind his back, Shyde continued on his circuit around the egg, getting angrier every minute.

"I'm ashamed of you," he spat to the egg, "We have been training for years now. You were stronger than any Ultimate level Digimon in the entire region! How? How could you have lost to him?" The Egg remained silent.

"What's worse, the dealer will be coming for the Fractal Code today. And what will I tell him?" asked Shyde flippantly. He snatched up the egg and, holding it close to his face, began to scream, "Should I tell him that it was stolen? That some stupid girl with a talking digivice has it? Should I accuse Ryo of stealing it from me and almost deleting my Digimon? What do you think? I can't tell him that!" Shyde dropped the egg onto the floor with a clatter. Luckily, the shell was harder than most eggs, so it was safe from shattering. Shyde seethed, slowly calming down but still angry. Then, a thought came to him.

"That's it…" he muttered, "That's exactly what I'll tell him!" The boy suddenly became giddy and he danced around the room.

"I'll tell the fool it was stolen by a group of bandits! He's stupid enough to believe it! And when he goes to fight Ryo for the Code…" Shyde stopped dancing and grinned evilly at the Digiegg on the floor.

"When he fights… it won't matter who'll win. Either way, I'll get a nuisance out of my life for good."

The walls of the tunnel reverberated with a resounding laughter, as Shyde cackled manically. Everything truly was going just as it should go.

Gatamigo: Oh, my, but this was short. It's almost the end of school year as I write this, so my brain is a little frazzled. I promise you that the next one will be more of a normal length, ok? If you guys review more, I might be tempted to write a little faster. Just a heads up.


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